SALEM -- A Sioux Falls woman was arrested on June 27 after allegedly driving while intoxicated with a child in the backseat.
Sheila Stone, 33, faces a count of abuse or cruelty to a minor less than seven years old, among other charges.
According to court documents, authorities received a call of a car speeding up and slowing down on Interstate 90, passing people recklessly and driving into a ditch. When authorities looked at the Salem I-90 rest area near mile marker 363, it saw a vehicle matching the description back out of the parking space and head east on I-90.
The law enforcement allegedly witnessed the car swerving in its lane, crossing the center line and speeding up and slowing down. The vehicle hit 84 mph, prompting a traffic stop. When approaching the vehicle, law enforcement smelled an alcoholic odor and there was a two-year-old child standing unrestrained in a car seat in the back of the vehicle.
Stone was slurring her words and appeared unsteady when walking to the patrol car, according to court documents. When asked how much she drank that day, she responded, “Not enough.” Authorities performed a field sobriety test, but Stone refused a breath test.
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Upon her arrest, she allegedly tried to pull away and screamed as she was escorted into the patrol car. Her vehicle was towed to Sioux Falls, her adult passenger received a ride from the tow company and her child was placed into protective custody.
Abuse or cruelty to a minor under the age of seven is a Class 3 felony, punishable upon conviction by up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. She also faces a Class 1 misdemeanor and two Class 2 misdemeanors.
